Last modified: 3/9/2007
January 6:
Course overview, key issues in video game design.
Read: Preface (pp. xii-xv), About This Book (pp. 1-9) of Rules of Play.
Read: Adventure as a Video Game: Adventure for the Atari 2600, Warren Robinett
January 8:
Game session logging. What is play, what is a game. The magic circle.
Read: Chapter 7 (Defining Games, pp. 71-83), Chapter 8 (Defining Digital Games, pp. 85-91),
Chapter 9 (The Magic Circle, pp. 93-99) in Rules of Play.
Read: Chapter 2, pp. 36-43 only, in Half-Real.
January 10:
Role played by rules in a game (rules as limitations or affordances)
Qualities of rules, rules on three levels (operational, constituative, implicit),
Read: Chapter 11 (Defining Rules, pp. 119-125), Chapter 12 (Rules on Three Levels, pp. 127-139)
of Rules of Play.
Read: Chapter 3,
pages 55-61 of Half-Real.
January 12:
Rules of digital games, emergent complexity in rule systems,
Games of emergence and progression,
state machines, Conway's game of "Life"
Read: Chapter 13 (The Rules of Digital Games, pp. 141-149),
Chapter 14 (Games as Emergent Systems, pp. 151-171) of Rules of Play.
Read: Chapter 3, pages 61-83, of Half-Real
Due: Game session log: game of your choice.
January 15:
No class, Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday
January 17:
Introduction to Game Maker, sprites, objects
Read: Designing Games with Game Maker, pages 7-17
January 19:
Introduction to Game Maker, events, rooms, collision detection
Read: Designing Games with Game Maker, pages 17-30
Due: Game session log: game from classics list
January 22:
Game elements ontology
Read: Game ontology website, www.gameontology.org
Due: Team selection for game design projects
January 24:
Game elements ontology (cont'd), exam topics overview
January 26:
Exam #1
January 29:
Shmups (Shoot-em-ups)
January 31:
Platformers
Due: Game session log: game from classics list
Note: The modifying Game Maker assignment, previously due on this day, has been dropped.
February 2:
Role Playing Games
Due: Original drawing-oriented game
February 5:
Creating a Shmup using Game Maker
February 7:
Creating a Platformer using Game Maker (collision detection)
February 9:
Creating a Platformer using Game Maker (improved collision detection, moving platforms)
Due: Game concept document (extension due to SoE web server outage)
Due: Game session log: game of your choice
February 12:
Challenge and conflict
Read: Chapter 20 (Games as Systems of Conflict, pp. 249-265) in Rules of Play
Read: Chapter 4 &
Chapter 5, pages 37-70 of Chris Crawford on Game Design
February 14 :
Definition of play, categories of play, interactivity, core game mechanic
Read: Chapter 22 (Defining Play, pp. 301-311),
Chapter 23 (Games as the Play of Experience, pp. 312-327) in Rules of Play
Read: Chapter 6, pages 71-92 of Chris Crawford on Game Design
Due: Work breakdown and schedule for game project
February 16:
Game flow, games as systems of pleasure, goals, rewards, reinforcement schedules, fictional elements of game worlds
Read: Chapter 24 (Games as the Play of Pleasure, pp. 329-361) in Rules of Play.
Read: Chapter 25 (Games as the Play of Meaning, pp. 363-373) in Rules of Play.
Due: Game analysis using game ontology
February 19:
No class, President's Day holiday
February 21:
Game Maker advanced techniques
Due: Partially operational game prototype
Due: Progress report for game project
February 23:
History of computer games
Due: Game session log: game from classics list
February 26:
Narrative, telling stories in games
Read: Chapter 26 (Games as Narrative Play, pp. 377-419) in Rules of Play,
Read: Interaction and Narrative, Michael Mateas and Andrew Stern
Due: Game analysis: multi-game analysis (genre evolution, compare/contrast),
games from classics list
February 28:
Exam #2
March 2:
Games and culture, violence in games, games for women, games for girls
Read: Chapter 29 (Defining Culture, pp. 505-513) in Rules of Play
Read: An Interview with Brendal Laurel (Purple Moon) Chapter 5 in
From Barbie to Mortal Kombat, pp. 118-135.
March 5:
Economics of multiplayer online games
Read: Chapter 8, The Economics of Fun: Behavior and Design,
in Synthetic Worlds, Edward Castronova
March 7:
Governance of multiplayer online games
Read: Chapter 9, Governance, in Synthetic Worlds, Edward Castronova
Due: Final computer game project
March 9:
Game project demonstration and evaluation (breakout sessions)
March 12:
Game project demonstration and evaluation (breakout sessions)
March 14:
Game project demonstrations, in Media Theater (external judges)
Monday, March 19: Final Exam, 12 noon